Warriors: Rising Darkness: A Single Drop of Rain
by Spirithunter
Summary: Complete!
1. The Prophecy

** Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors! **(I do own the cats' names and the plot, however.)

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Nightwind ran through the forest, looking for shelter. The earth was shrouded by drifting mists, undaunted by the torrential rainstorm that was soaking the ground. A flash of lightning lit up the dark forest, and suddenly he saw a figure appear in the mist. It was a cat, her shimmering, rain-soaked pelt clinging to her slim body. Suddenly there were many cats, and she sat facing them and began to speak. 

The scene suddenly changed to show the four Clans of the earth and Starclan. Then a dark mass formed in the corner of Nightwind's eye, and began to take the shape of many cats with deep, flaming eyes.

Then, once again Nightwind was looking at the speaking cat who had appeared first. The rain-soaked cat stopped talking, and her audience seemed to draw back in fear.

The vision—all the cats—became mist once again, and Nightwind heard a voice, which for some reason he thought to be that she-cat's: "An ancient danger will be woken by a single drop of rain."

_What did that mean?_ Nightwind wondered, mystified. He ran about, trying to find the source of the voice. Then he heard it again.

"Nightwind! Come on! Silvermist's kit is… ready!"

Nightwind stirred—then, fully awake, looked up to see Wildstorm standing over him, eyes filled with concern for his mate. "What? Oh, great Starclan!" Nightwind growled. Gathering his supplies, he rushed over to the nursery, following Wildstorm.

"Give these to Silvermist," Nightwind told Wildstorm, handing him some poppy seeds. Then he went to work, slowly pushing out the kit. Finally, the head was out…

* * *

Finally, after what felt like hours, a single newborn she-kit lay suckling her sleeping mother, who had been exhausted by the labor. A few short, wet, silvery hairs grew from the kit's body, which was otherwise bald. The kit was both deaf and blind, a useless lump of skin, and would stay that way for a few days, then it would proceed to become a useless lump of fur. About a half-moon from her moment of birth, however, and the kit's life would have really started. Nightwind smiled at the little newborn, and Wildstorm stood proudly over his mate, preening her ragged fur. Nightwind walked out of the nursery, then reappeared with a piece of fresh-kill, setting it by Silvermist for when she woke up. 

"Thanks," Wildstorm purred.

* * *

Reviewers: I would really appreciate constructive criticism! If you think I should change something or don't like something, please tell me so I can improve! If you read my bio you'll know that I'm hoping to write something and get it published :) 


	2. Rainkit

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.**

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The kit was almost six moons old now. Her mother had named her Rainkit, after her deep blue eyes and glossy silver pelt. Nightwind had been thinking about his dream ever since he had it. The old medicine cat was normally out walking around the camp, but even though the sun was shining warmly on that early new-leaf morning, he stayed in his den. His questions: What was the ancient danger? How would a drop of rain affect it now? Millions had fallen before, why hadn't they stirred it? What was up with the shadow-cats? Did the vision have anything to do with the prophecy? What? 

Suddenly he thought of something. Rainkit. If the mist the rain-soaked cat had appeared from in his dream was supposed to be Silvermist, and the pouring rain Wildstorm, then was that cat Rainkit? It fit together. Then he remembered something he had never seen in his dream. The cat that was supposedly Rainkit had a darker gray streak on her right leg that wound around it, ending in a small spiral just above her paw. Rainkit had that same marking, in the same spot and position. So she was the cat from his dream? Could she also be the drop of rain that would awaken the ancient evil the prophecy told of? Did the shadow-cats represent that evil? Nightwind was suddenly anxious. He had to tell Dawnstar. Was Rainkit going to destroy Thunderclan? He felt confused. This needed to be discussed.

* * *

"Dawnstar!" Nightwind cried, running into her den. 

"What is it?" the leader replied, eyes wide with confusion.

"I… need to tell you… a dream… the kit…" the medicine cat stammered.

"What about them? Did you have a dream about a kit?"

"Not exactly… I had a dream that a cat appeared from the mist, and spoke to her Clan about an ancient danger that would rise up… then she disappeared, and told me her prophecy."

The leader's eyes were full of excitement, nervousness, and fear. "What was it?"

"She said: 'An ancient danger will be woken with a single drop of rain.' I think that 'rain' is Rainkit."

"What? Why?"

"It all fits. The mist in my dream is Silvermist. The cat in my dream had a rain-soaked pelt. The harsh thunderstorm that was going on in my dream was Wildstorm of Thunderclan."

"What does that have to do with the prophecy-?"

"I wasn't done. The cat in my dream had a marking on her right leg—a streak of dark gray that ended in a spiral just above her paw. Rainkit has that same marking, same place and position. It all fits—she was born from mist and storm, and her name is Rain. She has the marking. She is the one who will rouse the danger, but whether on purpose or by accident, I have no idea. Nor do I know what kind of ancient danger the prophecy spoke of."

"If she is prophesized by Starclan to do such a thing, then we must be careful. When she becomes an apprentice, we must take special surveillance on her. Even when she becomes a warrior, she will need surveillance. Try and teach her no ambition, keep her down.. we must be strict about the Warrior code with her…" Dawnstar rambled, obviously shocked. She seemed to be forgetting that Nightwind was a medicine cat. What if Rainkit…

"Dawnstar, but what if Rainkit decided to be my apprentice?" Nightwind asked. Dawnstar stopped talking, and gazed at him.

"That… might help," she mewed. Apparently she would not be getting over this soon.

"I can try and coax her into life as a medicine cat. I'm old, Dawnstar. If I don't get an apprentice, who will take my place? She seems hopeful. She isn't as vigorous as most of the other kits. She seems more serene, even for her age."

Dawnstar considered this. "I don't know. Let her decide her own future. Now be gone, I need to think." She turned around and settled down in her nest, and Nightwind padded out of her den. Something told him that Rainkit was more than just an otherwise normal kit in a prophecy…


	3. Medicine Cat

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.**

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Rainkit padded up to Nightwind. "May I watch you?" she mewed. "I want to see all your herbs and stuff." 

"Why?" Nightwind asked.

Rainkit looked at him, her wide, kit's eyes penetrating his mind with their innocence. "One of the other kits was saying how he had been in here before, and how amazing it was with all the different things. I wanted to see."

"I suppose, would you like me to show you to everything?" Nightwind mewed, happily thinking at the same time about what this might do to help or prevent the prophecy.

"No, I wanted to play with Flamekit in a while. But he's sleeping, so I decided to come here. He'll get me later when he wakes up," she explained in a not-kit-like expression. "But you can show me whatever you want. I feel interested in this right now."

"Okay, then, let's go." Nightwind walked over to his stashes of herbs and grabbed a mouthful of small, black objects. "These are poppy seeds," he stated. "They are useful in most situations: bellyache, pain, toothache…" Nightwind rambled on about the uses of the poppy seed, and to his surprise, Rainkit was letting each sentence, each word, soak into her mind and memory. Her eyes were focused intently on him, ears facing forward to catch everything he said. _She looks hopeful,_ the medicine cat thought, smiling inwardly.

He went on, showing the glossy, silver kit various herbs, telling her their names and uses. He had shown her quite a bit, and she never yawned, faltered, or let movements or objects distract her, and she hardly ever blinked both eyes at once. Then Flamekit bounded in. "Ready?" he growled playfully.

"Yes," Rainkit replied. "Hold on just a moment." Rainkit got up, helped Nightwind put away everything he had taken out, then told him, "Thank you, Nightwind. That was interesting. I'll come by later if you're not busy. Tonight I'll consider being your apprentice, then tell you tomorrow morning, is that okay?"

"Sure," agreed Nightwind. "Have fun with Flamekit."

"Thank you!" Rainkit purred, then ran out to join Flamekit.

* * *

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here to the Highrock!" Dawnstar yowled. "We have two kits who are now six moons of age, and is ready are become apprentices. Come forth, Rainkit and Flamekit." The two kits, silver and golden-red, approached the Highrock. Flamekit rushed forth excitedly, but Rainkit was tentative, taking small and cautious pawsteps, as if she might step on a booby trap. 

"I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these apprenctices. Flamekit, from now on, you shall be called Flamepaw, and Rainkit, you shall be Rainpaw."

"Flamepaw! Rainpaw! Flamepaw! Rainpaw!" The Clan cried out in unison. The chant had an odd rhyming sound to it.

"Dragonclaw, you are ready for a new apprentice. I ask you to take everything you know about being a warrior and pass it down to Flamepaw." Dragonclaw stepped forth and nodded, then he and his new apprentice leaned toward each other and touched noses. Then they both turned to face Rainkit.

"Rainkit has decided not to become a warrior," Dawnstar continued, "but a medicine cat. Nightwind, will you pass down all you know to Rainpaw, so that she may one day be as great a medicine cat as you?"

Nightwind strode proudly out of the crowd, and leaned forth and touched noses with Rainpaw. "I shall."


	4. Training

**Disclaimer: I only own the characters and the plot. Warriors is not mine. **

* * *

Nightwind strode out into the main camp area in search of his new apprentice. Finally he found her, playing with Flamepaw as if they were still kits. As he approached her, he heard Rainpaw ask her friend, "Flamepaw, do you want to see if we can have a fresh-kill eating contest?" Nightwind was bewildered by this question, but also amused, and amazed at how she could seem to forget that she wasn't a kit anymore. 

"No, Rainpaw," the medicine cat purred as he walked up to her."

"Oh, hi, Nightwind…" Rainpaw lowered her head, but kept it facing up to look at him, and drew her lips back in an innocent grin. It was a kit-like grin, of course.

"Come. I want to start teaching you about basics of being a medicine cat. In a few days I'll start teaching you about all the really interesting stuff. Like the Moonstone."

Rainpaw had only heard of the Moonstone, and had no idea what it was. "What's that?" she mewed inquisitively. Nightwind knew she would be a good medicine cat with this eager-to-learn behavior.

"I won't tell you now. That subject belongs in the 'more interesting stuff' category."

"Oh. Well, then start telling me stuff so that I can get to the 'more interesting stuff!'" the apprentice growled eagerly, with emphasis on the "more interesting."

Turning around, Nightwind led Rainpaw to his den. After they had settled and after Rainpaw had quit bugging him about teaching her, he began to speak. Rainpaw pretended to sigh with relief. Nightwind smiled.

The medicine cat began by asking Rainpaw to recap what she knew. Amazed at how she remembered practically everything he had told her, he asked her to come up to his stores of herbs and tell him what was what as far as what he had told her. Again Nightwind was amazed at her mental capability. After that was done, he pulled samples of a few more herbs and showed and talked about them to Rainpaw. Then he tested her to she what she remembered, and Rainpaw did perfect. _She's taking this seriously,_ the old medicine cat thought proudly. _I've never seen an apprentice as attentive as her._

After a while, Rainpaw was distracted by the shadows cast by the setting sun which seemed to have crept up on her while she was listening. Nightwind was tired of talking anyways, so he let her go ahead and play with them. She started playing with her own elongated shadow, using it to exaggerate her size, unsheathing and flexing her claws playfully to watch the razor-sharp shadows they made. Then she decided to try and outwit her shadow by raising one paw, then the other, then the other, and so one in that pattern, then suddenly switched to an unexpected paw. Eventually getting bored of this kit-ish game, Rainpaw retired to watching patiently as the shadows grew longer and longer and as the areas lit by the sun grew darker and darker, until shadows had conquered the entire camp and only the sky was lit, a rich gold low on the horizon. Now left without anything to do, Rainpaw padded away to her den with a simple "Good night" to Nightwind.

"Good night, Rainpaw," he replied, then walked over to his nest, laid down, curled up, and went to sleep.

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Okay... sorry it's so boring right now. The exciting stuff will begin very soon. In a few chapters. I don't require reviews to put new chapters up, though, as I said earlier, I do enjoy comments and constructive criticism. Thanks for reading, and I apologise for the short chapters!  



	5. More Interesting Stuff

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.**

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Not much different happened in the next few days. Rainpaw, being the attentive listener that she was, was quick to learn about all the herbs and their uses, so Nightwind devised a test to see if she forgot anything from the beginning. He told her to pretend that he had something wrong with him. He told her his symptoms, and she diagnosed him and prepared the right herbs for him and applied them. She made ointments if she had to and applied them in the proper spot, had him eat certain herbs (if it didn't do anything bad to a perfectly healthy cat) that she got, etc. In the beginning of these practices, there were several things Rainpaw had forgotten, which didn't surprise Nightwind. Over the next couple of days, though, Rainpaw got to a point where Nightwind felt like just appointing her as a full-fledged medicine cat, even though she knew little about the warrior code or hunting, or even where to find all the herbs she would need to use. 

It was in the early afternoon. Nightwind found Rainpaw and announced that that was the day she would get to start learning about the "more interesting things."

Rainpaw spontaneously switched to her kit-like side and practically somersaulted around the entire camp before coming to a halt in an upside-down heap at her mentor's paws. Nightwind couldn't help it—he broke out into uncontrollable laughing. Rainpaw grinned innocently, untangled herself, and stood up, going back to her calmer side as she did so. After Nightwind got out of his hysteria, and led Rainpaw to his den.

They settled down. Rainpaw spoke in a quiet, though serious voice, "So what is the interesting stuff?"

"The interesting stuff," Nightwind began, "is everything else. Starclan, the Moonstone, Gatherings--one is coming up soon, by the way--what else there is to being a medicine cat besides the herbs, where to find the herbs, how to recognize them, and I'll also be telling you about the warrior code and hunting."

"But isn't that for warriors?"

"The warrior code is something every cat must know and understand, whether you're actually a warrior or not. Most of the time, you learn its rules by doing things, be it doing them right or wrong. So that we shall learn as we go, but now you must learn about Starclan. Do you know what they are?"

"They're the spirits of our ancestors, right?"

"Yes, but they're also much more. They know our future, and tell us, warn us. But they encode it, put it in a riddle form. You have heard of prophecies?"

"Yes."

"That is what these riddles are. Though while Starclan may also have power over our future as well, they cannot actually govern what we do. I'm sure you've heard the legend of Firestar?" (a/n, not my name)

"Oh, yes."

"Starclan made a prophecy about him coming to Thunderclan to save us. They didn't possess his body or anything to make him go. They sent him dreams, and he decided to go. He was not forced to."

Rainpaw looked confused, but finally figured it out and nodded to tell him he could go on.

"Medicine cats have always had a special connection with Starclan. They are generally the ones that Starclan speak to and give prophecies to. Every half-moon, the medicine cats of all four clans, as well as their apprentices, go to the Moonstone to share tongues with Starclan. The medicine cats receive dreams from them about what is to come, and hear prophecies if there are any. We cannot eat before we go, though we can eat herbs for hunger. We all meet at Fourtrees, then go on to Mothermouth, the cave wherein the Moonstone lies. Once we are inside Mothermouth, we cannot talk until the next morning when we have left. We can eat when we get home. It is sacred, this journey, and no cat from any Clan may dare to stop us from making it. Medicine cats are special—we can ignore the rules about crossing territories' boundaries as long as it is for a good reason and not because we are chasing a mouse across it."

Rainpaw was awed by this. She had never expected even this much difference between what she originally thought a medicine cat was and what they really were.

"Is that enough for one day? Go, get something to eat for me, then you can eat too and go to bed," Nightwind told her.

"Okay," the apprentice replied. She left and came back, dropped a finch in front of him, nodded to say good night, and left.

* * *

Okay, I'm trying to avoid lectures about stuff we all know. I couldn't phrase this any other way for it to make sense, so I'm sorry... and I'm forgetting that this should be shorter, I'm used to taking my time. If this were written normally by me, I would take my time and make it potentially up to 50 chapters long... trying to avoid that... I promise, no more lectures, though. I'm hoping I can really get this going by about chapter 7... actually, this chapter ending is great for starting the plot up! I'll try to make things happen... thanks for reading this if you actually took the time to read this pointless note. :-)

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	6. Among the Stars

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.**

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Rainpaw ran and ran along a path of moonlight that seemed as if it would never end. Then the moon was covered by clouds, and only the starlight guided her. She ran along Silverpelt's path, through forest and over field to get to a goal that seemed impossible to get to, getting farther away and at the same time getting closer. Suddenly there was a flash of light, and she was surrounded by cats. Not normal cats. At first she saw two familiar cats—Greymask and Wolfstorm. Then she remembered that they were dead, and had died about two moons before her apprenticeship. What was going on here? 

Suddenly more cats appeared. She couldn't smell. Who were they? She recognized no one else. Then she saw something. She was no longer standing on land. She was surrounded by darkness, and the only light came from the other cats. They looked like starlight, with their shimmering, glowing pelts.

Starclan.

"Welcome, Rainpaw," one cat greeted. "I am Froststar, the leader of Thunderclan before Dawnstar."

Rainpaw looked around. Had she died? Why else would she be up here? She whimpered silently in confusion.

As if she had read her mind, Froststar assured her, "You are not dead. But we have not come to see you. You have come to us."

Finally Rainpaw welled up the courage to speak. "Why?" was all she could say.

"You have a gift, little one. The gift to see us. Normally we are hidden, reveal ourselves when we must. But to you, we are always there."

"What in the-" Rainpaw was very confused. The thoughts in her mind were tangled together, and no matter how hard she tried to untangle them, they only got worse. "You have to ability to separate your spirit from your body. Only your consciousness—your body on earth is still alive. It is sleeping and cannot be roused until you return."

"O-o-okay," Rainpaw mewed, still somewhat perplexed. Froststar had loosened her tangled mind some, but not all the way.

Froststar saw that the apprentice was still unclear on what was going on. Trying to explain it better, she tried again, "You can control your consciousness even though you are sleeping. This is no dream, Rainpaw—this is real. You are actually seeing us, even though you are alive and well. And despite the fact that you are seeing us, this is not a dream. This is real, and you can control your actions."

Rainpaw was considerably less confused now. She understood her situation, just not how it was happening. "I… I knew that medicine cats had a close connection with Starclan, but not close enough to do _this_," she stammered.

"No, this is not something all medicine cats can do. This is something _you_ can do. This is your special power. Visiting us." Froststar sighed, then continued, "I know you are confused, and it will take a while for you to figure out and comprehend everything that is happening now. But come back soon, and I'll see if I can help clear things up a bit more."

Nodding unsurely, Rainpaw started to walk away. The next thing she knew she was next to her body, and she leapt into it and lied down in its position.

* * *

Rainpaw awoke later feeling rather odd. She was convinced that even though Starclan said it wasn't a dream, what she had experienced that night was one. It was odd, though. She had felt as if she was controlling her body in her dream, not just feeling that way as the dream went on. She felt like she had her own mind in her dream. It was strange. But it was impossible for one to leave their body like that. Wasn't it? Rainpaw decided to wait to tell Nightwind. Right now this wasn't important. It was just some crazy dream with no meaning. At least not to her. 

Seeing the daylight streaming into the den, Rainpaw stretched, got up, and walked out. It was another beautiful day. Rainpaw, oddly, didn't feel like learning at the moment. She felt playful, rowdy. She searched out her friend Flamepaw and greeted him.

"Oh, hello!" he replied warmly.

"How's your training going?" Rainpaw asked. She couldn't think of anything else to say, besides commenting on the weather.

"Great. Dragonclaw's a lot of fun."

"To annoy?" Rainpaw teased. Flamepaw laughed.

"Ha ha, Rainpaw. No. He's a fun mentor. He has that rare sense of humor. I think he's proud of me."

"I wouldn't be surprised, you're an energetic, strong apprentice. When are you going to be made a warrior?"

"Not for I while, I think. Dragonclaw says that while I may be a good hunter, I still don't quite know fighting techniques and such. He thinks it will be a while more."

"Oh. I still have a lot to learn, too. I don't know when I'll get to receive my name. I can't call it a warrior name, so should I call it a medicine cat's name? I wish my name could be Rain... Rain… Rainclaw. I like that name. But it doesn't fit a medicine cat."

"Hmm… Rainstorm… Rain… pelt… Rainfall…"

"No, not Rainfall. It's pretty, but there's already Starfall. I love her name…"

"What about me? Flame… claw, Flameheart, Flamepelt… I don't know, nothing seems to fit my name."

"Well, maybe Dawnstar can think of something that will. She's given nice names before. Starfall, Runningbrook…"

"Starfall. Wait, isn't Shadowclan's leader's name Fallingstar?"

"Yeah… just a coincidence, I bet. It's happened before. Embersky and Skyfire… it happens."

"Whatever."

"Well, I came to play. So let's go. I'm bored! Why are we discussing our own names, anyways? Our names are for the leaders to decide."

"Wait, what was Fallingstar's original name?"

"I'm not sure. I'll ask Nightwind. Now come on! Why don't we go to the training grounds for a duel?"

"But you're not even a warrior."

"Like I care!" The friends laughed, then walked out of the camp.

* * *

Heh heh, are you sensing something here? I am... 


	7. The Fight

**Diclaimer: I do not own Warriors.**

* * *

"Come on, kittypet," Flamepaw teased. 

"I am not a kittypet!" Rainpaw growled.

"You aren't even a warrior. You think you can take me?"

"Flamepaw, I have Starclan on my side. How can I lose with a team like that?"

"Just because you're a medicine cat in training doesn't mean that Starclan is paying attention to you only. Now come on!" Suddenly Flamepaw became a blur of orange as he leaped toward his friend in mock battle. Rainpaw was surprised; Flamepaw crashed into her and they went tumbling across the clearing.

"Hey!" she cried.

"You wanted to battle, so I'm battling."

"Fine." Rainpaw shoved Flamepaw off of her and darted to the other side of the clearing. They circled each other, slowly, then more rapidly, waiting for the other to pounce. Finally, Rainpaw got bored, and laid down. Flamepaw cocked his head, then shrugged his confusion off and crouched. He made a few feints, and Rainpaw started at the first few, then gave up and just watched him, amused. Rainpaw had been watching closely, practically reading his thoughts—he finally pounced, and she was ready. She bounded out of the way in time, and Flamepaw crashed into the ground. As soon as he got up, he shook his head. Rainpaw took the opportunity to dart. But instead of running away, she dashed towards him, until she collided with him, unbalancing his feet and bowling him over. She turned backwards upon landing and leapt on top of him, pinning him.

Flamepaw was stronger, though, and shoved her off and rolled on top of her. Rainpaw gave up. "You're good," Flamepaw commented, "but you need much more practice. That dart, though, where you knocked me over… that was good. You could have had me. A warrior with the same performance would have won."

Panting, Rainpaw replied, "Well, I'm too tired right now, but expect me to beat you soon." Grinning, she added, "Wanna try again tomorrow?"

"If you have time, sure."

"Great. Can't wait to win."

"Don't get overconfident, Rainpaw. You might never beat me."

Rainpaw looked hurt. "I can if I want!"

"Rainpaw, I was just saying-"

"That I'll never be a warrior now? That now that I'm a medicine cat apprentice that I would never be as good a warrior apprentice?"

"No! Rainpaw, stop it-"

"Fine," she cried, then stalked out of the glade.

Flamepaw stood there, eyes hurt and watery. He sniffled, then, head and tail drooped, he padded out of the glade back to the camp. He had just lost his respect with Rainpaw. He admitted—he did care for her. Could he bring them back together, though? He slumped over to the apprentices' den, curled up tightly in his nest, and slept.

Rainpaw was sleeping too, but not really. She was having a strange dream again with Starclan. She ran towards a light in the forest, then there she was, with Froststar and Greymask and Wolfstorm. Froststar noticed that something was different with Rainpaw. "What's the matter?" she asked kindly.

"Nothing," Rainpaw muttered stubbornly.

"No, Rainpaw, something, not nothing. What's wrong?" she tried again.

After quite a bit of coaxing, Rainpaw finally told what was wrong. "Flamepaw got mad at me. He said I would never be good as a warrior."

"No he didn't. I was watching. He was saying that he was ahead of you in warrior training, and that you might not be able to beat him because of that, but you still might be able too. That you probably could after enough practice."

Rainpaw was slightly more relieved, but she was still sad. She and her best friend

had just blown up at each other. How hard would it be to mend the ragged tear in their relationship? Rainpaw cared for him. She didn't want to lose her only friend!

"Rainpaw, you're still worried, I can tell. I would leave a little bit more time for the dust to settle, but then you can forgive him, and he you. But don't expect immediate results. Just say hi to each other and maybe talk a little when you can, then maybe your bond can regrow. Okay?"

Rainpaw sniffed. "Okay… I think that maybe some walking would help. Is it okay if I go walk around some?"

"There's no need to ask. This is your territory as much as it is mine or anyone else's."

"Thanks, Froststar." With that, Rainpaw walked off to explore the vast stretch of the night sky."

* * *

I think you can see where this is going. I think the plot is really starting to move along now... but I can't think of something to happen when Demonclan is discovered... should she be captured and back on earth mistaken for dead? Or something else... ideas, please? 


	8. Demonclan

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors.**

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It felt strange to the apprentice, walking around in Starclan territory, if it could be called that. It was a cross between the sky and the forest. She couldn't tell which one she was in most of the time. But it was also fascinating, viewing the world as her warrior ancestors did. She wondered if she could meet Firestar. 

As she pondered the possibilities of what she could do up here, her power became more real to her. She started to become convinced that this really was her spirit, leaving her sleeping body behind to come up here. Did Starclan live in eternal darkness up here, or did they get to enjoy the sunlight as well?

Suddenly Rainpaw realized that she had wandered up to Highstones. She was overcome with the urge to see what they were like in Starclan's eyes, and bolted toward them. Strangely, she never became fatigued by the running. She ran up the mountain and down without feeling tired. Excited, she ran around in circles until she became bored of never feeling that exhilaration that always encouraged her to press on. She wondered what it would be like, to run around the world and never feel tired. Or maybe she just hadn't run enough. Finally she just decided to go climb one of the mountains to the top.

She chose a mountain with a flat-ish peak that she could stand on when she reached the top. She darted over to it as if she was the wind itself, then began walking up. She didn't want to run; that would be cheating.

Soon she was high up above the ground, if it was even that, and felt like she had climbed to the top of the world. She still had a lot to go, but it was still dark. She had time…

Then the summit of the mountain was before her. She scrabbled up, stood there, and wanted to cry out. She wondered if there was anyone who could climb this at home on earth. She could have just sat there, admiring the dark, shining objects in this ethereal version of the world she knew. But after a while, she decided to go back down. She took a different way down. It seemed like a path, though the surface was rough, but it seemed like it would be easy to descend from. She climbed back down. She wondered if Dawnstar ever felt like that, sitting on the Highrock, watching over her Clan. But the view definitely wasn't as breath-taking as this.

Soon, Rainpaw came to a den. It looked like a small alcove, as if one might have slept there while traveling through the mountains. She stepped inside and felt for the wall. But where she figured it would be, through guesswork since it was covered by shadows, the back of the alcove wasn't there. She carefully walked on, searching for the back, but never found it. It was a cave. She looked behind her, and saw that she couldn't see where she had come from. She could see, though, that behind her, the path split into two. There was no way of telling which way she had come from; the dank smell of the cave would overpower any scent a single cat could, if spirits could even leave scents. Scared, Rainpaw pressed on.

Soon she saw something amazing—there were glowing sheets of stone running alongside the tunnel. Sometimes the sheets moved, and once they moved to reveal something amazing—a river of liquid fire, making the cave warm and producing light to see. It was incredible. Rainpaw wasn't sure how she could feel the heat but not get worn by running or trace her own scent, but the thought was overpowered by her fascination in the liquid fire.

_Magma._ The word came to her, and she knew that that was the name of the liquid fire, despite the fact that she had never heard the word before. Rainpaw was confused by this world. Things you could feel, things you couldn't, it was different than earth. Rainpaw suddenly noticed that the magma was flowing into a tiny tunnel out of the cave, and deep into the mountain. She did know the word volcano, and realized that that was what this mountain was. And the knowledge came to her that this was a lava tube, where magma would flow out of the mountain and into the outer world to cool down and become rock. She wondered what would happen if the volcano were to stir while she was in it and drown her in lava. Would her spirit burn up as her body would on earth? The more she sought to understand this world, the more confused she was by it. Starclan had obviously never bothered to come here, she assumed.

Finally she gathered up the will power to move on. She plodded deep into the cave, which soon became dark. There was the faintest bit of light, just enough to help her navigate without crashing into a wall. She felt like it had been hours since she had left her body; was it day now? Did time pass the same way here as it did on earth? She decided to keep her mind contained and focused on keeping safe. Even though it nagged at her, she kept it steady and under her will.

It was soon that she felt a strange feeling in her gut. She walked for a few minutes—then heard voices. _What? Why are there people here? Who are they?_ Her questions were soon answered. As she carefully crept closer to the source of the voices, the makers of the sound came into view—they were cats. That blazed like Starclan, but with black fire instead of starlight. It was amazing. There were not quite as many cats as there were in Starclan, but certainly a lot—and in the center was a cat that Rainpaw took to be the legendary infamous traitor, Tigerstar. She gasped, then drew back. She bolted away. So Tigerstar hadn't gone to Starclan… but where was this place he had gone? Even in the otherworld Tigerstar seemed like he had taken over this… clan? She ran, now suddenly glad that running didn't make her tired. Ignoring the magma only to the extent that she still wouldn't step in it or something, she ran. Away from the shadowfire-cats, away. She ran until the split which had confused her in the beginning, with luck taking the correct path to get her out. She found herself out of the lava tube in a matter of minutes. Somehow, she felt tired. Running as fast as she could, she got back to Starclan. Froststar was the first to greet her.

"Rainpaw? You look… tired…" she said, cocking her head.

"Tired? No, nervous. I… f-found… Ti-Ti-T-Tigerstar…"

"What? Tigerstar… what were you doing, child? Tigerstar never joined Starclan."

"I know… he seemed to have joined a clan… or something… of cats who live deep within a v-volcano just beyond Mothermouth… who burn with fire of the truest black, that rather than giving light like normal fire, it seems to absorb it…"

"Demonclan…" Froststar gasped. "Rainpaw, how did you come across them?"

"I was up in the highstones, and I wanted to climb a mountain… I got to the top, and on the way down, I came to a lava tube… which I thought was just an alcove… then I tried to find the back of the cave, but it was never… I never found it… I was exploring the cave, and I heard voices, and I found their source… the cats all looked evil… I only saw Tigerstar, I think, but that must be where Mudclaw and Brokenstar… Brokentail… must have gone when they died. Why they aren't here…" rambled the apprentice.

"Rainpaw, it is day. See the light? You must get back to your body. You realize you were sleeping on earth all this time your… spirit was gone? Your Clanmates might be worried."

Rainpaw looked plenty worried, too. But without delay, she nodded farewell to the late leader and ran back to her body. Nightwind was just coming over to wake her up. With all her strength, she made a mad dash for her body, and got there just in time as Nightwind prodded her. "Wake up, Rainpaw," he mewed.

Rainpaw wondered if her mind would be tired or well-slept. She would find out soon. Groggily she got up, stretched, and found a piece of fresh-kill waiting for her. "Thanks," she purred, then settled down to eat.

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A/N Nor do I own Tigerstar, Mudclaw, or Brokentail/star. Yeah... I'm also thinking of a better chapter name. Perhaps simply "Demonclan." Please review, especially if you can help give me ideas for later in the story! Maybe the volcano will erupt, I don't know... 


	9. Apologies

**Disclaimer: I own the names, the plot, and Demonclan. I own nothing else.**

* * *

Nightwind noticed that Rainpaw seemed distracted. Normally, all her energy was focused on hearing him and taking in what he said, marinating in what he taught her, but even though Rainpaw was listening she had a distant look in her eyes. Nightwind, deciding to not waste his breath if she wasn't going to listen, gave up and walked to Rainpaw's side, bringing her out of her reverie. 

"You're distracted by something. What?"

What had happened with her and Flamepaw suddenly rushed into her mind, so she used that as an excuse. "Flamepaw and I had a fight," she explained. "I… I can't get over it. He was my best friend…"

Nightwind felt bad for her. "I wish I could help, but I think I must leave it to you to fix it. Why don't we call it a day? Come back when you're feeling better, I can tell you about the Moonstone and such."

"Okay," she purred sadly, and walked slowly out of the den. She looked up and saw Flamepaw getting something from the fresh-kill pile. Flamepaw then looked up at her; their eyes met, and Rainpaw quickly looked away. She walked towards somewhere, she wasn't sure where. Looking at Flamepaw again, she suddenly felt like she had to do something. She walked over to him. Her friend noticed her and turned his head up to see hers. They weren't glaring eyes, like Rainpaw had expected. Just kind, Flamepaw eyes. "Flamepaw, I just wanted to say… I'm sorry. About blowing up at you. I had a misunderstanding about what you said."

Flamepaw sighed. "It's okay, Rainpaw. I should apologize too. I blew up as well, and I didn't make an effort to clarify what I meant. What I said really didn't come out like I wanted it to."

"Forgiven?" Rainpaw mewed hopefully.

"Forgiven," the orange tabby said, nodding his head down once.

"I forgive you, too." Flamepaw smiled.

With that done, Rainpaw nodded farewell and started walking in a random direction. She looked at the ground the whole way, and her eyes were partly closed. She didn't notice that she wasn't running into a camp wall until after she reached the border. "Where…" she whispered. Then she realized that she was downwind of the scent, and she had crossed the Riverclan border. She heard a shout, then looked into the distance to see a patrol coming her way. Quickly she turned around, glad that she had only been a mouse-length or two across, and half her body had still been on home territory. Would the patrol scent it, and would they shrug it off as an accident? She wasn't sure if she wanted to go to the next Gathering or not. Nightwind had said that she could go, and she wanted to, but if the patrol didn't see it as a mistake, would they recognize her scent?

She was reassured when she remembered that medicine cats didn't have the same limits as warriors did. Maybe, if they knew she was a medicine cat's apprentice, they would ignore it. But she was still worried. Suddenly she scented mouse, and decided that if she was going to be out of the camp, she might as well hunt. She went into a crouch, then stalked the mouse until she could hear it, and finally see it. She waited… waited… and pounced. Breaking the mouse's neck with her jaw, she held it and trotted back to camp. The aroma wafting up from the freshly-caught prey was tantalizing and made her feel better.

She managed to catch a rabbit as well before she returned to camp. No one seemed to have missed her, so she went to the fresh-kill pile and dropped her quarry in. She chose a starling to take to the elders, and went to their then to den and gave it to Longwhisker, an elderly warrior who had long ago been muted in a battle when his throat was cut open. It had not been enough to kill him, but it rendered him literally speechless. He nodded his thanks, and Rainpaw went on her happy way. She felt strangely tired, and noticed that the sun was setting and was low on the horizon. The day had passed quickly. Or had she just been sleeping for forever? She padded to her den, surprised to see the other apprentices already there. Sunpaw and Runningpaw were curled up in their nests, as was a recently apprenticed Darkpaw, and Flamepaw was stretching.

"Are you going to bed as well, Rainpaw?"

"Yes."

"It's been a tired day today. I think there's a storm coming in, too—I saw some dark clouds on the horizon earlier. That may be part of it."

"Maybe." Rainpaw told him good night and curled up in her own nest. She was asleep within seconds. But she didn't visit Starclan that night. She didn't feel like it. They didn't rain meteors or lightning bolts upon her or anything, so she figured that she was okay. Tomorrow, if she felt better, she would say hi again. But that night she just let her spirit sleep.

* * *

Yay! They're friends again! Okay, come on... who thinks that Flamepaw and Rainpaw are cute together? I never planned for this to happen. And Flamepaw will become a warrior soon. But please review and help me decide what should happen when Demonclan finds out they've been found out... and Sunpaw has no relevance to the other Sunpaw stories, and doesn't appear all that much here. So don't worry. You may also have to wait a while for chapter 10... I've got lots of homework to do and I'm somewhat busy tomorrow. I'll be writing a lot, still, because I feel the urge to write and finish everything in my queue, so expect lots of updates. YAY WARRIORS! 


	10. Warriors, Dreams, and Gatherings

First of all, I would like to thank someone. Dewflower, I loved your idea for my plot, and I'm going to use it. (Unless I can think of something better, but I love yours.) I love it! It's so... unexpected... some of you may not be happy about it but it's a really good idea. You'll never guess what it is!

I'd also like to thank my reviewers for the wonderful... reviews (duh) they left me! I'm glad you like my story, and it is encouragement like that as well as my own love for the art that I keep writing. Those of you who have authored your own Warriors stories, they are very good as well.

**  
Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.**

* * *

The next day it rained fiercely. In some spots rainwater dripped through the roof of the den, and occasionally landed on Rainpaw's nose. Dawnstar sent out hunting patrols every time it stopped raining, though when it did it generally picked back up again soon, even within seconds, which rather bugged the hunting warriors and caused the fresh-kill pile to become rather depleted. 

Not much happened in those days, however. There was one day where an entire two hours were spend with kits happily playing around outside and warriors hunting and everyone smiling—the rain had stopped for the moment. Dawnstar also took the opportunity to hold Sunpaw's and Runningpaw's warriorship ceremonies.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey come to the Highrock for a Clan meeting," Dawnstar yowled. "Sunpaw, Runningpaw, come forth." The two cats padded forward. They were like older forms of Flamepaw and Rainpaw, except Runningpaw was darker with wavy bluish streaks, and Sunpaw had a dark tabby stripes and a white blaze on his chest, and blue eyes, which no one knew how he got.

"These apprentices have worked hard to train and to understand the ways of your noble code," Dawnstar continued, speaking to Starclan, "and I commend them to you as warriors in turn." She looked down at the apprentices. "Sunpaw, from now on you shall be known as Sunfire. Runningpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Runningbrook."

"Sunfire! Runningbrook! Sunfire! Runningbrook!" the Clan cheered. _Runningbrook, _Rainpaw thought, _I like that name… Runningbrook and Sunfire_

"Sunfire and Runningbrook, tonight you must sit vigil. But as tonight is also a Gathering if the clouds don't cover the moon up, you may go to that instead and sit vigil for the rest of the night. The new warriors bowed their heads in understanding.

Rainpaw's fur bristled. The Gathering was tonight? She had lost track of the moon since it had been covered by the clouds for so long. Dawnstar then went on to tell the Clan who was going to the Gathering.

"Sunfire and Runningbrook, Rockfur, Darkpaw, Flamepaw, Silvermist, Starfall, Wildstorm, Nightwind, Rainpaw. Those whose named have just been listed are going to the Gathering tonight." Rainpaw stirred. She was going to the Gathering!

After the Gathering, which didn't last long, as rain went and as it came again covered up the moon. Rainpaw was disappointed, but still happy she got to go. She padded over to her den as soon as she got back home and instantly went to sleep. The rain made her tired, and it made everyone else tired, too, which made days mostly boring and only made her want to sleep. Which was fine, because then she could visit Starclan and talk to them. It never rained up there, so everyone was happy. She wondered if apprentices could be named warriors in Starclan, or kits apprentices.

That night she went up to Starclan, but she wasn't as eager as normal. "Hello, Froststar," she greeted when she finally found her.

"Hello, Rainpaw."

"Why did you end the Gathering…"

"We didn't. We don't control the rain, or the clouds, either, and nor will we ever. However… do expect lightning."

Rainpaw cocked her head. "Is that supposed to be a prophecy?"

"No, no! I'm just warning you. No riddles."

Rainpaw smiled. "Good." Then Rainpaw said goodbye and went back down to her body, where she was greeted by a dream.

_There in front of her was a huge… colony? …of cats who burned with flames of the deepest black. Like shadows of fire. She hid behind the wall of the lava tube, gazing at them. Who were these cats in Starclan's territory? Then, she saw a figure in the center of everything. Despite the fire, its broad, powerful shoulders were defined enough to be recognized. She had no true idea of who it was, though by looking at it, she thought it to be Tigerstar. She looked closer, and thought of everything she had been told about him. He matched her mental picture perfectly. If Tigerstar was here, then who were these cats? The flames and burning red eyes of the cats made it next to impossible to distinguish anyone from anyone else. She couldn't take her eyes of of him… but she gathered up her will power and did it. But as she turned her head, she saw another cat… looking at her…_

_

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WHAHAHA!_ Cliffhanger! Heh, I'm skipping school today to catch up on homework, so I snuck in some writing time to finish this chapter up... Chapter 11 will seem like the same dream, but it is actually something else happening somewhere else some other time, whether a few seconds after this, or hours or minutes or days, I don't know. I might get to write and post it today, I might not, we'll see in the end, though. Farewell for now!

P.S. have any of you seen the cover for Twilight yet? The cover is odd, the cat looks like a black, blue-eyed chihuahua...


	11. Allegiances

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors. **I own all these names. Any names of cats starring in other stories are coincidental. This is the list of the leaders, deputies, medicine cats, warriors and apprentices in each clan as of this point in the story.

**

* * *

Allegiances**

THUNDERCLAN  
Leader: Dawnstar  
Deputy: Rockfur  
Medicine cat: Nightwind  
Apprentice: Rainpaw  
Warriors:  
Dragonclaw  
Apprentice: Flamepaw  
Wildstorm  
Silvermist  
Riverwind  
Apprentice: Sunpaw  
Starfall  
Apprentice: Darkpaw  
Runningbrook

SHADOWCLAN  
Leader: Fallingstar  
Deputy: Frostfang  
Apprentice: Stonepaw  
Medicine cat: Embersky  
Warriors:  
Bandedtail  
Nightsong  
Apprentice: Thunderpaw  
Riptide  
Moonshadow  
Apprentice: Earthpaw

WINDCLAN  
Leader: Jadestar  
Deputy: Wingfoot  
Medicine cat: Mossfur  
Warriors:  
Amberfur  
Wingfoot  
Apprentice: Dewpaw  
Firestorm  
Apprentice: Streampaw  
Swiftfoot  
Riverpool  
Hawkfeather

RIVERCLAN  
Leader: Wolfstar  
Deputy: Flamefeather  
Medicine cat: Rosethorn  
Warriors:  
Mudstripe  
Apprentice: Redpaw  
Moonfrost  
Wildfire  
Apprentice: Windpaw  
Heathertail  
Rippledpool  
Apprentice: Duskpaw  
Stoneclaw


	12. The Moonstone

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.**

* * *

Rainpaw's eyes opened before she even realized she was awake. She had been having the same dream now for a long time. She hoped it wasn't real… what if she really had been seen by one of Demonclan? She couldn't even begin to think what would happen if she were caught or something. She feared the discovery she had made, and even regretted it. Even Froststar seemed anxious. 

The apprentice was greeted by Nightwind before she had even made out of her den. "Hello, Rainpaw," he mewed. "More training today. Herbs. And Runningbrook said she's feeling a bit odd, so we're checking in on her, too."

"Okay," she said, nodding her head. "Do you want me to get you something to eat?"

"I already have eaten, but thanks. You have breakfast then meet me in my den."

"Alright." Nightwind padded off, and Rainpaw strode to the fresh-kill pile. She chose a plump finch, and settled down to eat. She finished, then went to Nightwind's den.

"Good, you're here. Oh, I just remembered—tonight is the half-moon, so we're going to the Moonstone." Rainpaw cheered. "I'm glad you're excited," he purred.

"I've always wanted to see the Moonstone…" mewed Rainpaw, her eyes and voice distant.

"But we cannot eat anything more before we leave. We may take herbs with us to eat and give us strength, though. But there is a rule—once we enter Mothermouth, we may not speak."

"Why not?"

Nightwind shrugged (in the way a cat might do it). "Because Starclan commanded it, and it has been that way for many generations past."

"Oh."

"Well, don't be disappointed, now. Why don't we go check on Runningbrook?" Nightwind nudged Rainpaw gently with his head to get the going, then led her to her den, where she was laying down, tired-looking. "So how are you, Runningbrook?" Nightwind asked.

"Um, fine?" she replied, somewhat hoarsely. "My belly kind of hurts…"

"Well, let's check it out."

It took several minutes and lots of re-checks and self-convincing before Nightwind finally decided that Runningbrook was pregnant. Runningbrook looked happier now, and told us that she was mates with Sunfire.

"You're going to have a beautiful kit, I assure you, with such beautiful parents!" the medicine cat purred.

"Thank you," replied Runningbrook, getting up. Nightwind walked her out of the den, and sent Rainpaw to get the warrior a piece of fresh-kill. When Rainpaw returned with it, Runningbrook gratefully took it and thanked her, and walked away to enjoy breakfast. Rainpaw smiled. Runningbrook looked rather happy about being a mother.

* * *

At sun-high, Nightwind and Rainpaw departed camp. Nightwind told his apprentice that they had to go to Fourtrees first. 

"Why?"

"To meet up with the other Clans' medicine cats."

"But I thought…"

"I told you, medicine cats live differently than warriors. They don't obey the exact same set of rules warriors do." After that, Rainpaw was silent.

When the two came to Fourtrees, Embersky, Shadowclan's medicine cat, was already there. Next to come was Windclan's medicine cat, Mossfur, then finally Rosethorn of Riverclan. They confirmed that everyone was present, and departed for Mothermouth. Rainpaw felt odd being in a group with one other cat from each clan, walking through Windclan territory with no truce or anything, and o one was fighting… it was strange, but nice. Rainpaw wondered why the Clans didn't always get along like that. When she asked that to Nightwind, he just scoffed. Rainpaw was silent after that.

Finally the cats reached their destination. "Okay, Rainpaw, you must be silent now," Nightwind told her. It didn't matter—Rainpaw was already being quiet. She told him "I know" anyways. Then they entered the cave.

It was all Rainpaw could do to keep from gasping in awe. The cave soon became dark and the light from its entrance couldn't be seen. But soon they went around a corner—Rainpaw had no clue how her mentor knew how to get around in here—and the cave was suddenly filled with a brilliant silvery light. "The Moonstone," Rainpaw gasped under her breath. Nightwind shot a harsh glance at her, and Rainpaw lowered her tail and backed away. The band approached the stone, and Rainpaw saw the hole in the ceiling from which the moonlight shone through to light up the famous rock. When Rainpaw had brought her attention back to the Moonstone, she saw the other cats beginning to lie down with their noses touching the stone. She padded over and followed their example. Though she hadn't been tired before, as soon as she touched the cold rock she was overcome by a wave of drowsiness. The next thing she knew, she was asleep.

* * *

I'm sorry this chappie's so boring... but the next chapter things will get... interesting... 


	13. Return to Demonclan

Now you will all get to begin to see Dewflower's brilliant idea... and enjoy hanging off a 20-mile-high cliff.**  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.**

* * *

Rainpaw felt like she was in two places at once. She was walking the skies, but she felt like she was also in the forest, making the journey to Highstones like she did every half-moon, and had done that night. The only differences were that she was alone, and she wasn't going to Mothermouth or the Moonstone, and nor was there a Windclan to complain about trespassing. And she wasn't going to get help from Starclan. _She_ was helping _them_. 

Rainpaw would have run all the way, but she felt like she could take all the time in the world to get there. This wasn't something she was eager to do. Then her dream came to mind. What if someone _had_ seen her when she had stumbled across Demonclan a few moons ago? Would they be expecting her? It worried her. So what if Starclan died? What if her spirit was killed while her body below slept? What would happen? Starclan wouldn't be there to grant her life back.

It felt like a forever had passed before Rainpaw finally reached the mountain in which Demonclan dwelled. With loathing she scrambled up to the ledge where the lava tube was, then went inside. She was greeted by darkness and a dank smell. Like the medicine cats did in Mothermouth, Rainpaw padded her way along the cave until the light from the cave's entrance was obscured by the corners and turns in the cave, then simply trusted her senses as she meandered through the cave. She came to the lava stream, which provided light. She remembered this place and knew she wasn't far from her dreaded destination. It was only a few minutes before she heard the voices of the clan and saw the red glow shed by the dancing lights called fire which Demonclan had somehow managed to harness. She wondered if the fire could be brought to the earth, to her clan…

She suddenly remembered where she was and what could happen if she let her mind stray too long. Drawing her attention to the shadow-cats in front of her, Rainpaw was careful not to let herself get into plain sight. She looked around for Tigerstar and found him talking with another cat. The clan didn't seem like it was acting much different than it was when she found it, which was a good sign. Rainpaw would've liked to have left now, but she knew Froststar would want a detailed explanation of what was going on. Rainpaw scanned the room, looking for suspicious activities. Nothing seemed out of ordinary (or at least the "ordinary" she knew), so she relaxed as much as she could and continued with the surveillance.

As she looked at the activities going on, Rainpaw realized that this clan was actually pretty normal. They sat with each other and talked, play-fought, followed their ultimate leader's commands. Sometimes a cat would get up and check the fires. And it wasn't like they were from another world entirely—Rainpaw could understand what they said. She didn't know what qualifications one needed to have to come here instead of Starclan, but Rainpaw figured you probably had to be a traitor, crime-committer, etc. to get here. But then Rainpaw noticed that the longer she looked at them, the more of their original selves she could see—they became more like Starclan, the original cat's shape, with a sort of silvery, fiery glow. But these cats seemed to soak up light rather than emit it, which explained why they needed the fire. But why were they here in the first place?

When Rainpaw decided that she had been there long enough to give a good intelligence report to Froststar, she slowly backed away and turned around. Rainpaw also wanted to know more of the story behind the clan.

Rainpaw had almost gotten to the lava stream when she bumped into something. It wasn't a rock; it was too soft. It seemed… _alive_. Rainpaw ran towards the lava to get some light to see by and saw what she had ran into. A cat. From Demonclan. "Hello, Rainpaw," it said slyly. Rainpaw recognized the voice.

Flamepaw.


	14. Capture

I love this chapter. I feel so inspired by it... I was thinking of a song by Shania Twain called "I Ain't Goin' Down" the whole time I was writing this...**  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.**

* * *

"Flamepaw! What in the…" Rainpaw gasped. She knew it would sound lame, but she couldn't help but to ask, "What do you want?" 

"Let me start from the beginning," he purred. Rainpaw gulped. "Listen. You know how every action has an opposite reaction? This is kind of like that. To keep balance in the world, Demonclan gave me powers similar to yours because Starclan gave you the powers you have. It's Tigerstar, not me. He wants you… eliminated."

Rainpaw was taken aback. She tried to draw back as he took a step towards her, but she was now pressed against a wall, trembling. "Why?" she stuttered.

"You know the prophecy?" Rainpaw shook her head. "What? No one told you? Fine. It went something like this: a single drop of rain will awaken an ancient darkness. I think that was it. But Tigerstar didn't want you to discover us, because he knew that then Starclan would figure out where we were and try… try to ruin his plans to destroy them. So he wanted me to gain your trust so I could learn your weaknesses and have an easier time… finishing you off, to put it lightly. But at the same time that happened, I you gained my trust." Flamepaw sighed, then looked sheepishly at Rainpaw. "I will never harm you, Rainpaw. I love you."

Rainpaw gasped. "I don't… can't…I can't say if I love you back or not. I… did… but…" she stammered. "And Starclan already knows…"

Flamepaw sighed again. "Darn it," he growled.

Rainpaw's head shot toward him. "What?" she asked.

"Tigerstar wanted you gone before this happened. If he finds out that Starclan knows, he'll kill me…"

"Flamepaw, you can't die!"

"I don't know what to do. I don't want to turn you in, but that may be the only way we can both live… and I can't help but come here sometimes. He wants me, I come. Or else he'd kill my spirit in my sleep. Basically, he finds out, hunts me, and kills me. The other option is… well, there really isn't another one. If I turn you in, I live, but I can't guarantee he won't kill you. I say I killed you, he'll find out I lied at some point or another… Starclan curse that Tigerstar."

"Flamepaw, you could maybe come to Starclan with me. They might relent. Actually, they probably would."

"Tigerstar would still find me. Then Starclan would get more involved in this. I really don't want war among the heavens, Rainpaw. That would be horrid. I don't want to know what happens to spirits if they get killed…" then Flamepaw cursed again. Before Rainpaw could scold him, the two heard voices that weren't their echoes. "Quick, over here," Flamepaw beckoned to the she-cat.

Suddenly, three Demonclan cats came padding up. They had obviously heard something going on, and were sniffing the two apprentices out. It must've been Rainpaw's overpowering fear-scent—one soon yelled, "Aha!"

But Flamepaw was ready. He wouldn't let himself be thought of as a traitor. He was intent on living. It was one thing if your body died on earth; it was another if your spirit died before your body. The latter was irreversible. "Ah… Riptide. I found… the one in the prophecy…" he mewed with an attempt at an evil smugness. It seemed to work.

"Really? Good. I'm sorry if we interrupted her death," growled Riptide.

"Actually, I was just going to turn her in to Tigerstar…"

"Well, then, go do that!"

Flamepaw looked at me with sorrow. "Don't worry," he whispered. "I'll try my best… for you…" Then he went back to his act. "Get up, you," he growled at me. Rainpaw understood what he was doing and got up, letting him shove her with his nose. _Just keep your cool, Rainpaw,_ she thought, _keep calm._

Soon the five cats got to the camp. Flamepaw was obviously making an effort to look like he was shoving Rainpaw brutally, when he was only gently nosing her, urging her onward. The next thing she knew, she was before Tigerstar. It was easy to act like she was cowering—she would've done it anyways.

"What do you have here, Flamepaw?" Tigerstar asked. His voice was cold like ice and smooth like a lake on a day when the air is still.

"The one in the prophecy," he said, then forced himself to finish with, "your highness."

"And just why did you bring her here rather than kill her? I wanted her dead!"

Poor Flamepaw wasn't prepared for this. "I… wasn't sure if you'd want to do the honors… or do something else with her," he stammered.

Tigerstar gave the apprentice an odd look, then led Flamepaw and his "captive" to a small alcove in the back of the cave. "Until I decide what to do with her or when to kill her, she will remain here, guarded by you and some others of your choice," Tigerstar told Riptide. "And you, Flamepaw, thank you for bringing her to me. But you did not do as I told you. So you can stay here too." Then he and Riptide herded the two apprentices into the alcove, then Riptide and a few others took some sticks and rock slabs and barred the mouth of the alcove. Tigerstar walked off laughing evilly.

The bars didn't block off any light, but they did keep the two from getting out. But even though the alcove was dim, Rainpaw knew she didn't need a fire. There was already flame in the alcove, and it alone was enough to keep the sparks of hope and love in her heart ignited. That flame, she knew, was all she would need to get out alive.

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Yay! See, I'm not all evil. They were too perfect for each other...  



	15. Escape

Welcome to this somewhat random chapter of doom and CLIMAXNESS!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.**

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Rainpaw sat there, scowling at Riptide as he stood, a smug grin across his face. How long would she have to put up with all this? Was it morning back at camp? What if everyone at home was thinking she was sick? Or worse, just being lazy? Or even worse, dead? She wanted out. Now. 

Meanwhile, Flamepaw was lying down, contemplating the whole situation. Should he pretend to kill her? No, that might release him, but not Rainpaw. Besides, Tigerstar was smarter than that. He would probably see right through it. Suddenly, he heard Rainpaw's voice. It sounded like she was singing something.

"There's a time for everyone, if they only learn… that the twisting kaleidoscope moves us all in turn…" she whispered soflty.

"What are you doing?" Flamepaw asked. Since when were cats taught to sing?

"I don't know…" she answered. "It's something I heard coming from one of those music boxes twolegs like to have."

"How'd you hear it? Were you over in the twolegplace?"

"Of course not! I just happened to be in the general area of it. I was hunting. I heard it… there's some nice music in them…" Rainpaw rambled.

"Well, you have a nice voice."

"Oh. Thanks."

Suddenly Riptide interrupted them. "What are you two talking about?" he snarled.

"Nothing," growled Flamepaw.

"Tell me!"

Flamepaw sighed. "Music! Okay?" Now Flamepaw was just getting angry. Rainpaw wondered if this would get any worse, and what would happen if it did.

"Music? Humph. Whatever in the world is that?"

"Absolutely nothing meaningful."

Riptide raised his eyebrows, then grunted and turned around and began staring out into the darkness of the camp.

Suddenly, a pure, silver light burst into the camp. Dozens of lithe, shining figures poured into the cavern, running around. Demonclan cats stood rooted to the ground in shock, then regained their senses and threw themselves into the fray. Rainpaw couldn't figure out what the fray was at first, then realized that it was… Starclan!

Rainpaw's heart filled with hope. Riptide had rushed off to help fight, leaving the cell unguarded. Then Froststar appeared before them and threw herself at the cell door, loosening it. She threw herself at it again, and it burst open. "Froststar!" Rainpaw cried. They touched noses, then the old leader turned and ran back into the fight.

"Rainpaw, look out!" Flamepaw cried. Rainpaw looked to her right and saw four shadows creeping towards her. Slowly, they backed her and Flamepaw into the cave wall. Desperately, she tried to think of a way to get out. It seemed hopeless, when suddenly she noticed the torch behind her… "Flamepaw! The fire!" she cried.

Flamepaw looked at her, then above him. There he saw the torch, wedged into a crevice in the wall. Jumping up and grabbing it with his teeth and paws, he managed to pull it out just as one of the Demonclan cats lunged at him. The cat hit, and Flamepaw fell to the floor. The torch slipped out of his hands and landed on his attacker, somehow setting him alight. The cat ran flailed about, spooking one cat and igniting another one. They all ran screeching to the other side of the room. But there was still one cat left.

Flamepaw reared and stood on his hind feet, then came back down and began to charge. He leaped at the last attacker just as she did, and they hit each other in midair. Flamepaw fell to the ground, blacked out. Rainpaw yowled in anger as her inner fire swelled and raged. It strengthened her, and she began to run. Then, while her attacker was still down, Rainpaw pounced. Claws unsheathed, she sliced the neck. No blood came from the shadow cat, but it didn't move. Was it dead? Rainpaw couldn't tell. But how would a dead cat die again?

Suddenly Rainpaw remembered about Flamepaw. He was still unconscious. How could she get him out without being caught, attacked, killed… she would have to wait for help. But not for very long, for at that moment, Froststar came to the rescue again. "Good job, Rainpaw," she purred, then grabbed Flamepaw by the scruff of the neck and bounded off. She got the the mouth of the cavern, dropped him, and cried, "Everybody! Come on! Let's go! Retreat!" Then, after making sure the clan had heard her, she ran off. Rainpaw dashed forward to catch up with Froststar. She had Flamepaw in her mouth. "Thank you, Froststar." Froststar looked at her and nodded. "You're welcome," she said through her full mouth.

It wasn't long before the clan had gotten out of the caves. Everyone was taking a break on the cliff after running up all that. Rainpaw came over and lied down next to Flamepaw, who was finally starting to stir. "Ugh, what happened?" he asked groggily.

"You and another cat pounced at each other. You were knocked out," explained Rainpaw.

"Oh." He blinked. "Well."

Rainpaw sighed. Come on, let's take a quick rest, then we'll go. I think it's about time we got back to our bodies."

"You're right. Oh… but I feel like I've just gone a whole moon without sleep…"

"Don't worry. You can get a good rest when we get back. I can say you have a fever and give you some poppy seeds. Then you can rest a bit."

"Thanks."

Cats about them had started to get up again. "Looks like we're heading out," Rainpaw sighed. "Let's go." Then Starclan began their descent down the mountainside. "I am _not_ going back in there ever again," she stated.

"Not as long as you're alive," Flamepaw added playfully.

"Hey!" Rainpaw growled.

"Hay is for horses!" Flamepaw purred as he began to run.

"You get back here…"

"Just try and catch me."

Rainpaw smirked, then made a sudden dash towards him. Flamepaw yelped in surprise, then ran, laughing. Suddenly Rainpaw remembered how she had found out about her boundless strength she wielded in the realms of Starclan. "Fine, then. I will."

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Don't worry. It's not all over yet! There's going to be at least one more chapter. And tell me, shouldI end the story like a songfic(I have a perfectly fitting song in mind) or not? Now review! Or I shall give you the famous Puss-In-Boots eyes... dun-dun-dun 


	16. The Truth about Death

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.**

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In a few minutes, Starclan had made it back to their own territory. Rainpaw and Flamepaw had been playing tag the whole way back, but Rainpaw had to leave it now, as she wanted to ask Froststar a question. Padding up to the old leader, she mewed, "So… how did… you know how… where… to find me—I mean, us?" 

"Well, we knew where you were, when you weren't back for a while… you figure it out," she replied. "But you look as if a greater question is lingering on the tip of your tongue, young apprentice. What is it?"

"Um…" Rainpaw began. "When you saved us… Flamepaw and I were attacked by some Demonclan warriors. Somehow… we… killed them… but if they're already dead, then how can they die? I don't get it."

Froststar dropped her gaze to the ground and sighed. "That's just it—they don't die. They perhaps get knocked out for anywhere between a sun and a quarter moon, depending on how fatal it would be for an Earth cat… which can be a problem. If we ever must fight, we would have to make it as short as possible, or else the war would never end. Do you get it?"

Rainpaw nodded. "But… what if I was killed when I was up here? I don't mean if my body was killed, but if…"

Froststar returned her gentle gaze to Rainpaw. "I don't know. Either your body would die and you would just stay here, unconscious, or you would return to your body, or you would just get blacked out. The real point is, no cat can ever truly die."

Rainpaw smiled. Then she furrowed her brow as she remembered her clan and growled, "What time is it on Earth?"

"Right! Time for you to return, and Flamepaw, too. Go find him and get back. It's almost dawn…"

"Okay. Thank you, Froststar." They touched noses, Rainpaw ran off. "Bye!" she called back.

"Goodbye!" _…my Granddaughter,_ she thought.

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Yeah, I know, it's short. But hey, the story's ending... what am I supposed to write about? About one or two more chapters, then... BOOK TWO!  



	17. Flameshadow

Okay... sorry, the "ruler" button didn't work, so I couldn't get those nice lines... anyways, I believe this is the last chapter, then a epilogue, then... the end! Please review!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.**

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As Rainpaw raced back to her body, she saw Nightwind walking over to it. He prodded it and mewed, "Wake up, Rainpaw. The sun's been up for a while." Nothing happened. He prodded her again, this time a bit harder. She was only a few tail-lengths from her body… "Rainpaw?" Now his voice was getting a bit frantic. The apprentice dashed into her body at last minute and forced her eyes to twitch, then flicker open… "Rainpaw! You're finally awake. I was afraid you were sick or dead or something…" There was an edge of worry to the medicine cat's voice.

Rainpaw lifted her head. "Oh. I'm sorry… I'm just so tired…" she grunted as she got up into a sitting position, then stretched and sighed.

"Ah. Well, I didn't really want to wake you, but I figured you might like to watch Flamepaw's warriorship ceremony…"

"What? He's becoming a warrior already?"

Nightwind nodded. "Froststar told me and Dawnstar of your nightly escapades, and what happened last night. We decided that he deserved it, and might want something to take his mind off of everything."

Rainpaw lowered her head and grinned innocently. "Yeah… that…"

"Anyways, go! It's going to start soon!" He nudged Rainpaw's flank and she stood up. Drowsy, happy, and excited all at once, she padded groggily over to the meeting area. Dawnstar had just leapt up onto the Highrock.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here at the Highrock for a meeting!" she yowled. Cats poured out from their dens and wandered over from the center of the camp, wondering what Dawnstar had on her mind. When everyone had assembled, she cried, "We have an apprentice among us who I believe is ready to be named a warrior. Flamepaw, come forth."

An orange tom stepped out from the crowd and settled himself in the proper position. "Flamepaw," Dawnstar addressed, "You have been training well for several moons to become a warrior." Then she threw her head up to the heavens and cried, "Starclan, this apprentice has trained hard to learn and respect your noble code, and I condemn him to you as a warrior in turn." Then she faced the apprentice again. "Flamepaw, from now on, you will be known as Flameshadow!"

"Flameshadow! Flameshadow!" the Clan chanted. A smile crept across the new warrior's face, and he looked at Rainpaw. She smiled proudly at him. "Good job," she mewed.

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That evening, as he was walking towards the camp entrance for his warrior's vigil, Flameshadow saw Rainpaw padding over towards him. "Hello," he purred.

"Greetings," Rainpaw said in that medicine cat-ish way. "I just wanted to congratulate you again."

"Thanks," Flameshadow mewed. He and Rainpaw shared tongues for a while, then continued walking to the camp entrance. "I can't believe I'm a warrior…" he sighed.

"I know. I can't wait to become a full-fledged medicine cat!"

"I can't believe you aren't already. You're much more mature now than I'll ever be!"

"Uh-huh," Rainpaw growled, a cocky smile stretched across her face. She batted him with her paw. "You're it," she purred as she bounded away.

"Hey!" Then Flameshadow sighed. "I'm sorry, Rainpaw. I have to be on vigil, I can't play. Besides, I'm not a kit anymore. Being a warrior isn't all fun-and-games."

"Says the one who hasn't even been a warrior for a sun."

Flameshadow laughed. "Go on. Get some good sleep. Last night was… restless. I'll be fine."

"I understand. I wonder, if Nightwind doesn't need me tomorrow morning, if I can go on the dawn patrol. I want to go on one."

"I can ask Dawnstar tomorrow if you want."

"That's okay." Rainpaw yawned. "I'm going to sleep. Good night." Then she ran off towards her den, looking forward to a nice, long sleep.

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So, how'd ya like it? The prologue will come soon, and then book two, which'll be full of little suprises and things nobody will expect... or want to happen. Mwahahahaha.


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